The Car of Tomorrow, Today
Cup Scene Daily, January 4
Among the most interesting stories heading into the 2007 season is Toyota’s foray into the Nextel Cup Series. How long will it be before they achieve some measure of success? Can they put one (or two) of their sleek, new cars on the front row for the Daytona 500? Will they struggle on the 1.5 mile tracks that have been propagated throughout the sport? How about on the short tracks?
Also, can a fabulous open-wheel driver and ex-Formula One ace like Juan Montoya have consistent success in Cup? How long will his learning curve be? Is Chip Ganassi Racing (with Felix Sabates) going to be able to provide him with good enough equipment to compete with the Hendricks and Roushes of the world? (Side note: will Sabates ever sell his stake in those race teams?)
Oh, and maybe the most interesting of all…the COT. The Car of Tomorrow - NASCAR’s pet project that will now see practical implementation in ‘07. Gary Nelson, who has been instrumental in designing the new car, says the COT will eventually be called a ‘spec’ car.
NASCAR apparently went with that name over “butt ugly”.
Whether the teams like it or not, the time has long since passed to embrace the new design. Those who are just now getting their COT programs ‘in gear’ are likely to be waiting several years to see one of theirs in Victory Lane.
In the early 1980s, NASCAR also had teams and fans in an uproar about a new body style. Like the COT, it was smaller and boxier than its predecessor. The Pontiac Grand Prix, in particular, had a very odd look, including a sloped rear window. None of the Buicks, Fords, Oldsmobiles and Chevrolets looked as they once did. Yet it wasn’t long before no one noticed anymore.
I recently asked former Cup driver Lake Speed his thoughts on the Car of Tomorrow. “From the stands the average fan won’t be able to tell a bit of difference”, Speed said.
That’s probably true. Further, if the racing is good, will anyone really care what the new car looks like? Whether it has a rear wing or not? Or whether it has a bigger green house?
Regardless, there will be 43 of them on the track at Bristol in a couple of months. The car will definitely be ‘crash’ tested at Thunder Valley. At the end of the day, will we be talking about the looks of the car, or the bump and run?
The implementation of the COT is the third phase of NASCAR’s safety revisions. One could hardly argue a return to NASCAR’s recent past – the days before HANS devices and SAFER barriers. It’s been demonstrated that the new spec car is considerably safer than the current car. If it keeps one driver from being critically injured, the change will have been worth it.
If the racing is improved and teams are eventually able to reduce their operating budgets, all the better.